Viktor Grigoryevich Zholudev ( Russian: Ви́ктор Григо́рьевич Жо́лудев; 22 March 1905 – 21 July 1944) was a

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

major general and posthumous

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

. Zholudev fought in the 1929 Sino-Soviet conflict, the Battle of Lake Khasan in 1938 and the 1939

Battles of Khalkhin Gol The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (; ) were the decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolian People's Republic, Mongolia, Empire of Japan, Japan and Manchukuo in 1939. The conflict wa ...

, as well as

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Zholudev commanded the 37th Guards Rifle Division during its defense of the Stalingrad tractor factory during the Battle of Stalingrad.

Early life

Viktor Zholudev was born on 22 March 1905 in Uglich in the Yaroslavl Governorate in a working-class family. After completing lower secondary education, he began working as a log driver at age 14 on the

Volga River The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

. In 1921, Zholudev moved to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and worked on the

Moskva River The Moskva (, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river that flows through western Russia. It rises about west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through central Moscow. About southeast of Moscow, at the cit ...

Interwar

In May 1922, Zholudev was in the

. He was sent to study at the Moscow engineering courses but was soon transferred to the 2nd Infantry Petrograd courses. After graduating in September 1923, Zholudev became a platoon commander in the 106th "Sakhalin" Rifle Regiment of the 36th Rifle Division. In August 1925, he graduated from the Siberian repeated courses for Red Army commanders in

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

and was appointed commander of a machine gun platoon in the 106th. In 1927, he was promoted to command of the machine gun company. Zholudev fought in the Sino-Soviet conflict over the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929 and was wounded. Zholudev graduated in 1930 from the refresher courses for commanders of the Red Army (KUKSA) at

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. After graduation, he became the physical training instructor for the 36th Rifle Division. In May 1932, Zholudev became a battalion commander in the 107th Rifle Regiment. During the early 1930s, the Soviet airborne began to be created, and Zholudev became the commander of the divisional airborne detachment. In July 1937, he again became a rifle battalion commander in the 107th. Zholudev was appointed a motorized battalion commander in the 57th Special Rifle Corps during August. He became the assistant commander of the 159th Separate Rifle Regiment of the Volga Military District in September 1939. In July 1939, he became the commander of the 110th Separate Rifle Regiment in the Transbaikal Military District. During the summer, he participated in the

. Zholudev became the deputy chief of military preparations in the Volga Military District from August 1939. In January 1940, he became commander of the 20th Reserve Rifle Brigade in

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

. He soon transferred to command the 18th Reserve Rifle Brigade. In 1940, he graduated from a two-year course at the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

. Zholudev was appointed commander of the 199th Rifle Division in the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Originally it was a district of the Imperial Russian Army until the Russian Empire's collapse in 191 ...

during March 1941 but was transferred to command the 234th Rifle Division in April. In May he became the commander of the 3rd Airborne Corps' 6th Airborne Brigade.

World War II

When

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

began, the corps was transferred to the

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

area. German forces composed of

Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...

quickly advanced into the Kiev Fortified Region. German troops captured the Zhuliany airfield and the neighboring village in the outskirts of Kiev. Southwestern Front commander Mikhail Kirponos sent in the 3rd Airborne Corps for a counterattack. On 6 August, Zholudev led the 6th Airborne Brigade in encircling German troops in Zhuliany airfield and the village, resulting in the capture of the objectives. A German counterattack reportedly broke through to the brigade headquarters and Zholudev organized headquarters troops to repel the attack. He reportedly killed up to 12 German soldiers and was wounded but stayed at the front. Colonel Ivan Zatevakhin's 212th Airborne Brigade and Colonel Alexander Rodimtsev's 5th Airborne Brigade were sent in as reinforcements on 7 August. On the next day, German troops attacked the airborne positions ten times but were repulsed. German troops again attacked on 9 August under cover of an artillery and aerial bombardment. Airborne troops with Molotov cocktails reportedly destroyed eight German tanks. The 6th Brigade was reinforced by a workers' militia detachment, which was attached to the 1st and 4th Battalions. German troops captured the airfield after four days but were driven back by an offensive by the 3rd Airborne Corps on 13 August. For his actions in defense of Kiev, Zholudev was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

on 1 September. In late August, the corps was transferred to the line of the

Seym River The Seym or Seim (; ) is a river that flows westward in Russia and Ukraine. It is long (250 km within Ukraine) and its basin area about . It is the largest tributary of the Desna (river), Desna. Places on the river include Kursk, Kurchatov, Rus ...

north of Konotop to repulse the attacks of the

2nd Panzer Army The 2nd Panzer Army () was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian () was formed on 5 June 1940 and named after its commander, general Heinz Gude ...

. Zholudev became the commander of the 212th Airborne Brigade in early September. On 7 September, German troops attempted to cross the Seym but were repulsed. German troops crossed the river on 9 September under cover of a five-hour long artillery and aerial bombardment. The corps reportedly burned 50 German armored vehicles. Under heavy pressure, the Soviet troops withdrew into the Lizogubovsky forest. The remnants of the 212th were led by Zholudev in raiding German supply depots and other targets in the German rear. On 17 September, they were ordered to break out and linked up with the right flank of the 40th Army on 29 September. During these actions, Zholudev was seriously wounded. The 1st Airborne Corps was reformed in the Volga Military District during October 1941. After leaving the hospital in December, Zholudev was appointed to command the unit on 15 December.On 19 January 1942 he was promoted to major general. In the spring, the 204th Airborne Brigade was airdropped into the rear of the Demyansk Pocket; the 211th Airborne Brigade in the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps area of operations and the 1st Airborne Brigade near Leningrad to aid the surrounded

2nd Shock Army The 2nd Shock Army (), sometimes translated to English as 2nd Assault Army, was a field army of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. This type of formation was created in accordance with prewar doctrine that called for Shock Armies to ''o ...

. However, only the 1st Airborne Brigade returned mostly intact and Zholudev began the reformation of the 204th and 211th. In August 1942, the corps became the 37th Guards Rifle Division and was subordinated to the 4th Tank Army at the Stalingrad Front. The division repulsed German attempts to cross the Don River and itself established a bridgehead at the village of Trehostrovskoy. The division was transferred to the 62nd Army on 30 September and moved into Stalingrad on the night of 3 October. Elements of the division crossed the Mokraya Mechyotka river and pushed back German troops from several streets near the Stalingrad Tractor Factory, reinforcing the 112th Rifle Division, 42nd Rifle Brigade and the 308th Rifle Division. The division was involved in fierce fighting to hold the Tractor Factory and suffered heavy losses. On 14 October, German troops launched a massive attack and aerial bombardment, which inflicted heavy casualties on the division. At noon, 30 German bombers bombed the ravine behind the tractor factory, which contained Zholudev's command post. He was wounded in the bombing after his bunker collapsed and buried him. The German assault was too much for the remnants of the division, so the Tractor Factory was lost. However, several German divisions suffered heavy losses around the Tractor Factory. The division was moved to defend the Barrikady and Krasny Oktyabr factories. During these battles, the division was mostly destroyed. After

Operation Uranus Operation Uranus () was a Soviet 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis forces in the vicinity of Stalingrad: the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romani ...

, the remnants of the division were withdrawn from the battlefield, leaving behind a consolidated unit formed from the remnants of the division and the 138th Rifle Division's 118th Rifle Regiment. After finishing its reformation, the division was sent to the 65th Army of the Central Front and participated in an offensive in the direction of

Bryansk Bryansk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna (river), Desna River, southwest of Moscow. It has a population of 379,152 at the 2021 census. Bryans ...

during the spring. On 28 April the division was awarded the

for its actions at Stalingrad. Zholudev became commander of the 63rd Army's 35th Rifle Corps on 25 June 1943. He led the corps during

Operation Kutuzov Operation Kutuzov was the first of the two counteroffensives launched by the Red Army as part of the Kursk Strategic Offensive Operation. It commenced on 12 July 1943, in the Central Russian Upland, against Army Group Center of the German ''Ger ...

, the Bryansk Offensive, the Gomel–Rechitsa Offensive and the Rogachev-Zhlobin Offensive. For his actions during these battles, Zholudev was awarded the

Order of Suvorov The Order of Suvorov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honor of Russian Generalissimo Prince Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800). History The Order of Suvorov was originally a Soviet Union, Soviet award established on ...

, 2nd class. In June 1944

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...

was launched and the corps fought in it. During the Bobruysk Offensive, the corps broke through German defenses and crossed the Drut, Olza and Berezina rivers. The corps captured the towns of Klichaw, Byerazino and Svislach, reportedly advancing 100 kilometers in 5 days. After reaching

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, the corps advanced in the direction of Vawkavysk and

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

. On 21 July, Zholudev and 3rd Army commander Alexander Gorbatov, along with a group of officers, came under artillery fire east of Vawkavysk while trying to reach an observation post of the 323rd Rifle Division. Gorbatov survived the barrage but Zholudev was killed.Aleksander A. Maslov, ''Fallen Soviet Generals'', ed. and trans. by David M. Glantz, Frank Cass Publishers, London, 1998, pp. 147–149, 203–204. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Kutuzov 1st class on 23 July. On 11 November, Zholudev was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zholudev, Viktor 1905 births 1944 deaths People from Uglich People from Uglichsky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet major generals Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class